As a top-class rugby league front-row forward, Martin Bella was known for his straight-up-the-middle, uncompromising style. Nothing has changed.
He might have crept over the 60 milestone but the 62-year-old has a full-on life as a cattle and sugar cane farmer at Sarina in north Queensland as well as being a councillor on the Mackay Shire Council.
Then there are his self-made videos on Facebook which have turned him into a go-to must for hard-nosed political commentary.
Under the banner “Sensible Centre” at https://www.facebook.com/martin.bella.560, Marty unleashes on all sorts of subjects, from immigration to Anzac Day booing, Donald Trump, Pauline Hanson, the Far Left, the Far Right and plenty in between.
He has more than 100,000 followers and admits he is chasing influence but says the political landscape needs people like him.
“I’m chasing influence, not dollars,” he says. “I’m driven by (building) numbers, not dollars.
“I’m sick of the Far Left and the Far Right. They just argue about things for the sake of arguing; they don’t talk about actually implementing things.
“Look at immigration. It doesn’t matter how you tinker with it, we have to have it and there’s nothing to be gained by dog-whistling about it.
“If we stopped immigration from certain areas, as has been suggested by some, who is going to look after everyone in the country. We have an ageing population and people need carers. Who is going to do it without immigrants? It worries me, it really does.”
Martin’s “Sensible Centre” posts have become so popular he is looking at registering a business name and a domain name.
“I’m looking for more numbers,” he says unashamedly. “Numbers are pressure and pressure is power. I’m too old to go into politics full-time but I reckon I can direct people to look in the right places for the answers.”
Wayne Bennett once praised Martin Bella as a prop forward who “always made the hard yards”. Well, Marty is doing the same thing on the political stage.
Marty was born in Sarina of Italian descent and played his junior league for the Sarina Crocs. His first taste of senior football was in north Queensland’s famed Foley Shield competition. He represented Queensland and Australia at schoolboy level.
In 1983, he left north Queensland to play for the Easts Tigers in the Brisbane Rugby League competition and after three seasons there and two off-seasons at Halifax in England he joined the North Sydney Bears in 1986.
What followed showed him durability and consistency: 83 games for the Bears (1986-98), 57 for the Manly Sea Eagles (1990-92), 46 for the Canterbury Bulldogs (1993-94), 14 for the North Queensland Cowboys (1995) and 35 for the Gold Coast Chargers (1996-97).
Throw in 22 appearances for Queensland in State of Origin matches (1983-94) and nine for Australia (1988-91) and you have a remarkable career – all while studying to be a physiotherapist.
When he settled back in Sarina he had his own physiotherapy practice but ended that career 10 years ago to concentrate on the farm and the council.
Turning 60 was “no biggie” to him because his work as a physiotherapist had him prepared.
“The biggest thing is to realise what your limits are. No matter how fit you are at 60, you’re not as fit as you were as a 40-year-old or a 50-year-old,” he said.
“I know this much, you are better being fit than being unfit. You just need any fitness program to be tailored for the long term.
“As a physio, I worked with some returned servicemen who were struggling (for motivation). I’d tell them to just go and do some gardening or something similar. Just be active.
“I’ve had a few (health) challenges and like most blokes some prostate issues. I get it checked once a year around my birthday. I’d tell any bloke to make the appointment and have the tests.”
Family is important for the father of four (three girls and a boy) and grandfather of 13 (nine girls and four boys) and he says it’s important to be fair but critical when necessary.
“Who is going to teach them to be self-critical if it’s not the parents?” he said.
As for the modern game, Marty is not a regular watcher.
“I enjoyed being involved, not watching,” he said. “I get up at three or four am and work for sometimes 18 hours a day so I don’t have time to be watching football. And I don’t have a lot of interest anyway. There’s so much more to do out there.
“When I do go to junior games, I like to see the play, not the one-eyed stuff on the sidelines.
“I coach all-abilities football and make sure the parents and people on the sidelines know there are boundaries (for their behaviour). I amazed at how rude some people are.
“There’s no ‘excuse me’ or anything. How can kids grow up properly if the adults around them can’t act properly?”
Barry Dick was a journalist at The Courier Mail and Sunday Mail for 43 years, before retiring in 2015. Most of that time was spent on the sports desk in a variety of roles including sports editor, digital sports editor, Rugby League editor and chief Rugby League writer. While Barry was the first full-time Australian football writer for The Courier Mail in 1973, his true passion was always Rugby League and he covered a myriad of Grand Finals, State of Origins and Test matches. Barry was inducted into the Media Hall of Fame on March 27 2017.